The Otago Chess Club held its Autumn Rapid Open, first of a series of seasonal open tournaments, on Saturday 2 March. Top seed Robert Wansink had a good start to his campaign to defend the Westpac 30-30 trophy by taking first place on 4½/5.
The tournament had an upset prize, calculated as the winner of the game with the largest difference in rating points lower than their opponent. That chess players' ratings measure their relative strength is one of the factors that can lead to some of these upsets. A kind of ad hominem approach to the game can develop, where the higher-rated player stops paying attention to the board. In the belief that they are stronger than their opponent, they play for a win whether the position warrants it or not. When met with good moves by the opponent, this strategy often proves fatal.
Today's game is an example of just such an upset from the third round of the Autumn Rapid Open. Club President Terry Duffield, playing White, makes short work of the writer. Riding high on this victory, Duffield proceeded to lose his next game in similar fashion to 11 year old Max Lough, who thereby took the upset prize.
1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3!? ---
The Smith-Morra Gambit does not have many adherents at the highest level, but White gets compensation for the sacrificed pawn in terms of a lead in development and open lines. This makes the gambit a dangerous weapon – especially at a faster time limit. 3.--- dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 a6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.e5!? ---
Black has played a recommended line against the Morra, so White breaks things up with this advance leading to the exchange of queens. However, White still retains his lead in development and some attacking potential. 8.--- dxe5 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.Nxe5 Be6
Seeking further exchanges, Black starts to think the danger is over and he can head toward a winning ending. 11.Rd1 Bxc4 12.Nxc4 Nc6
Making room for the rook on d8 in the event of Nb6. But an interesting alternative was 12...Rc8! developing the rook and chasing the knight from its good square since 13 Nb6?! Rc6 14 Be3 Ng4! exchanges off White's bishop and leaves Black a safe pawn up. 13.Be3 ---
Playing for dark square domination on the queenside. A good alternative was 13 Bg5 followed by exchanging on f6 – crippling Black's pawn majority. 13.--- e6 14.Nb6 Rd8 15.Rxd8+ Nxd8?!
A perfunctory recapture. Instead 15... Kxd8! 16 Rd1+ Kc7 brings the king over to defend the queenside pawns and makes room to develop the rook on h8. Black will now find it very hard to keep the b7 pawn in the coming play, but he continues to underestimate White's threats. 16.Rd1 Bb4 17.Nca4 Nc6?!
Sleepwalking into trouble: The knight is best left defending b7. Black should have castled, with only a tiny advantage after 17... 0-0 18 Nd7 Re8! 19 Nxf6+ gxf6 20 Rd7 b5 21 Nc5 Bxc5 22 Bxc5 Nc6. Now the black king gets caught in the centre, under uncomfortable pressure from White's rook, bishop and knight. 18.Nc5! Bxc5 19.Bxc5 Ne4?!
Black is only equal at best – the simplest path was to block the d-file by 19... Ne7! 20 Bd4 Ned5 21 Nxd5 Nxd5 22 Bxg7 Rg8 with the knight outpost on d5 compensating for the weaker pawn structure. 20.Ba3 f5?
Finally blundering away the draw, by not accepting the loss of his extra pawn after 20... Nf6 21 Nc4 Nd5 22 Nd6+ Ke7 23 Nxb7 Kf6 with a small advantage to White. Allowing the rook on the seventh rank has far more serious consequences. 21.Rd7 g5?
Realising his predicament at last – Black offers only token resistance. But after 21 ... Rg8 22 Rxb7 h5 23 Rc7 Ne5 24 Re7+ Kd8 25 Ra7! Ke8 26 Rxa6 White's two passed pawns will win easily.White wraps up the rest of the game confidently. 22.Rxb7 g4 23.Rc7 Nd8 24.Re7+ Kf8 25.Nd7+ Kg8 26.f3! gxf3 27.gxf3 Ng5 28.Nf6+ Kf8 29.Rxh7 mate
The psychology of upsets
Problem: White to play and mate in 3.
The Otago Chess Club held its Autumn Rapid Open, first of a series of seasonal open tournaments, on Saturday 2 March. Top seed Robert Wansink had a good start to his campaign to defend the Westpac 30-30 trophy by taking first place on 4½/5.
The tournament had an upset prize, calculated as the winner of the game with the largest difference in rating points lower than their opponent. That chess players' ratings measure their relative strength is one of the factors that can lead to some of these upsets. A kind of ad hominem approach to the game can develop, where the higher-rated player stops paying attention to the board. In the belief that they are stronger than their opponent, they play for a win whether the position warrants it or not. When met with good moves by the opponent, this strategy often proves fatal.
Today's game is an example of just such an upset from the third round of the Autumn Rapid Open. Club President Terry Duffield, playing White, makes short work of the writer. Riding high on this victory, Duffield proceeded to lose his next game in similar fashion to 11 year old Max Lough, who thereby took the upset prize.
1.e4 c5
2.d4 cxd4
3.c3!? ---
The Smith-Morra Gambit does not have many adherents at the highest level, but White gets compensation for the sacrificed pawn in terms of a lead in development and open lines. This makes the gambit a dangerous weapon – especially at a faster time limit.
3.--- dxc3
4.Nxc3 Nc6
5.Nf3 d6
6.Bc4 a6
7.0-0 Nf6
8.e5!? ---
Black has played a recommended line against the Morra, so White breaks things up with this advance leading to the exchange of queens. However, White still retains his lead in development and some attacking potential.
8.--- dxe5
9.Qxd8+ Nxd8
10.Nxe5 Be6
Seeking further exchanges, Black starts to think the danger is over and he can head toward a winning ending.
11.Rd1 Bxc4
12.Nxc4 Nc6
Making room for the rook on d8 in the event of Nb6. But an interesting alternative was 12...Rc8! developing the rook and chasing the knight from its good square since 13 Nb6?! Rc6 14 Be3 Ng4! exchanges off White's bishop and leaves Black a safe pawn up.
13.Be3 ---
Playing for dark square domination on the queenside. A good alternative was 13 Bg5 followed by exchanging on f6 – crippling Black's pawn majority.
13.--- e6
14.Nb6 Rd8
15.Rxd8+ Nxd8?!
A perfunctory recapture. Instead 15... Kxd8! 16 Rd1+ Kc7 brings the king over to defend the queenside pawns and makes room to develop the rook on h8. Black will now find it very hard to keep the b7 pawn in the coming play, but he continues to underestimate White's threats.
16.Rd1 Bb4
17.Nca4 Nc6?!
Sleepwalking into trouble: The knight is best left defending b7. Black should have castled, with only a tiny advantage after 17... 0-0 18 Nd7 Re8! 19 Nxf6+ gxf6 20 Rd7 b5 21 Nc5 Bxc5 22 Bxc5 Nc6. Now the black king gets caught in the centre, under uncomfortable pressure from White's rook, bishop and knight.
18.Nc5! Bxc5
19.Bxc5 Ne4?!
Black is only equal at best – the simplest path was to block the d-file by 19... Ne7! 20 Bd4 Ned5 21 Nxd5 Nxd5 22 Bxg7 Rg8 with the knight outpost on d5 compensating for the weaker pawn structure.
20.Ba3 f5?
Finally blundering away the draw, by not accepting the loss of his extra pawn after 20... Nf6 21 Nc4 Nd5 22 Nd6+ Ke7 23 Nxb7 Kf6 with a small advantage to White. Allowing the rook on the seventh rank has far more serious consequences.
21.Rd7 g5?
Realising his predicament at last – Black offers only token resistance. But after 21 ... Rg8 22 Rxb7 h5 23 Rc7 Ne5 24 Re7+ Kd8 25 Ra7! Ke8 26 Rxa6 White's two passed pawns will win easily.White wraps up the rest of the game confidently.
22.Rxb7 g4
23.Rc7 Nd8
24.Re7+ Kf8
25.Nd7+ Kg8
26.f3! gxf3
27.gxf3 Ng5
28.Nf6+ Kf8
29.Rxh7 mate
1-0
Solution: 1 Nd6+! Kd8 (1... Kf8 2 Qf7#) 2 Qe8+! Rxe8 3 Nf7#.